23 goals and 4 assists: Victor Orta has cost Leeds €100m after turning down one of Europe’s best players
Viktor Gyokeres is one of the most talked about players in European football at present and the striker could be playing for Leeds United had it not been for a terrible Victor Orta decision.
The Swedish star has been in the form of his life since moving to Sporting CP during the summer of 2023, producing 23 goals and four assists for the Portuguese club this season across 18 matches. This takes his total to 66 goals and 19 assists, which has attracted the interest of several of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Gyokeres has been linked to the likes of Man United and Arsenal in recent weeks as Premier League clubs look to lure the in-from striker to England.
The 26-year-old has a €100m release clause in his current contract, however, the Sporting CP star can be signed for £63m next summer, reports The Telegraph.
Leeds fans will be devasted seeing these figures thrown around as the Yorkshire club could have signed Gyokeres in 2023, only for their former sporting director at the time, Victor Orta, to refuse to pay Coventry City their small asking price.
Victor Orta admits to messing up Viktor Gyokeres deal for Leeds United
With Gyokeres’ name on the lips of every football fan, Orta has also been speaking about the striker. The former Leeds sporting director was largely responsible for the Yorkshire club’s demise in the Premier League after Marcelo Bielsa’s sacking and the financial struggles faced upon their drop to the Championship.
This has left the 45-year-old in the bad books of Leeds fans and their unhappiness with him will have increased further as the current sporting director at Sevilla has admitted that he could have signed Gyokeres while at Elland Road.
The Championship outfit could have signed Gyokeres for just £11.7m, however, Orta refused to do a deal with Coventry City at the time and has now admitted that he did not want to spend that much on the Swedish talent.
“When I was at Leeds United I didn’t want to give €14m (£11.7m) for him,” Orta said of Gyokeres while speaking with Portuguese news outlet Record via The 72. “Cases like that of Gyokeres are the good surprises that football gives us, those things that we cannot measure.”
This one decision may have just cost Leeds €100m ahead of the 2025 transfer windows.
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